Not Just Surviving
by JonesIantoJones
Summary: Sometimes Owen's failings bring out the greatest results. Set between seasons one and two with vague spoilers involving shootings, immortality and blowfish. Contains some swearing, but then again it does feature Owen...


**AN: Another short Owen/Ianto story here for you. I am so obsessed with these two.**

 **This is set between season one and season two, and contains spoilers for some episodes, most of which are obvious but some are generally more subtle. There is some swearing in here – Owen mostly – but I don't think it requires a higher rating.**

 **Please let me know what you think x**

The Hub was silent. Gwen and Tosh had left for the day, and whilst Ianto hadn't actually seen Owen for hours he had assumed the medic had departed at some point. It was a week since Jack's departure and the team were doing the best they could to survive, to help Cardiff survive, and to hold things together. As Ianto did one final wander around checking for any rubbish his eyes drifted into the medical bay, where he spotted Owen sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall, legs spread in front of him, beer bottle in hand.

"Owen?" Ianto called.

"Piss off Tea Boy." Owen replied angrily, swigging from his bottle.

Ianto sighed, dropping the bin bag he'd been carrying into the rubbish and leaving the Hub.

TORCHWOOD

Ianto approached the medical bay the following evening and found Owen sat in the self same position. It was like he hadn't moved, and if Ianto hadn't seen him rushing about all day chasing aliens and saving lives, he'd be inclined to think he hadn't. It hadn't been a particularly busy day, but things were harder without Jack to lead them. They all craved the structure and organisation he brought to the team, as crazy as it was sometimes.

There had been no official announcement as to who was second in command following Suzie's death. Tosh has been there longest but she wasn't the sort to take charge. Owen assumed he was best placed, but Gwen was keen to prove him wrong. Nobody even considered Ianto and that suited him fine.

When they went out on missions things were barely the right side of chaotic, with Ianto well aware he was far from qualified for field work. Desperate times called for desperate measures though and so he found himself out there fighting creatures he'd only read about in the archives wondering if things would ever get back to their version of normal.

"Owen?" Ianto said softly.

"Piss off Ianto." Owen snapped.

Ianto left the Hub.

TORCHWOOD

The next evening Ianto didn't speak he just walked cautiously down the steps to the medical bay, sitting down on the bottom one and looking at Owen. Today had been a bad day. The alien had been captured, dealt with and disposed of, but not before it'd murdered an innocent passerby. A young woman out for a walk by the bay. A young woman who wouldn't be going home tonight. A young woman who'd be registered as missing in a day or two. Her body would never be found. There had been nothing left to dispose of. Whilst nobody had said it aloud the team knew if they'd been better organised, better prepared, then she'd have lived. But they were too late, too busy arguing over what to do to do anything helpful. Being first on the scene Owen had clearly taken it hardest, witnessing the full horror, hearing the screams and desperate pleas first hand.

"He'd been waiting for the blue box for over a hundred years. Nothing would have made him stay, and nothing else made him leave." He said simply.

"Piss off." Owen sighed.

"Today was not your fault. She didn't die because of you." Ianto added.

"Go home." Owen said before swigging from his bottle.

Ianto pushed himself up and walked back up the steps, a brief backward glance to the medic as he left, seeing Owen fall apart.

TORCHWOOD

The next evening Ianto walked down in the medical bay armed with a bottle of whiskey he'd swiped from Jack's office and two crystal glasses. Settling down on the medical bay floor beside Owen he poured two measures and handed a glass to Owen.

"If you're going to drown your sorrows you might as well use the good stuff." He pointed out. "And you shouldn't really do it alone. Not when you don't have to." He added.

Owen sighed as he downed the contents of his glass.

Ianto refilled it for him. "It's not your fault you know?" He said gently.

"Sure it is." Owen said softly.

"Jack has been resident here since the late 1890's. He chose Cardiff because of the rift... because the man that pilots that blue box uses it as a sort of space craft petrol station. He was waiting for him to come and fill up... to see if he could fix Jack... make him mortal... reverse whatever it is that happened to him. He's been waiting for a long time Owen. Nothing anyone could have said or done would have made him stay. And nothing we did made him go. It was just unfortunate timing." Ianto explained.

Owen downed the contents of his glass again, wincing a little as the liquid hit his throat. "Selfish fucker." He snarled.

"Who?" Ianto asked carefully.

"Jack." Owen spat holding his glass out for another refill. "He buggers off... probably won't come back... leaving us to pick up the bloody pieces."

"He'll come back." Ianto replied. "He has to." He swigged from his glass.

"Why?" Owen asked. "Not for you." He sneered.

"For us. This place." Ianto gestured with his arm.

"I wouldn't hold your breath." Owen draining his third glass with a sigh.

TORCHWOOD

"How's your shoulder?" Ianto asked the following evening. They were once again resident on the medical bay floor, but this time he'd brought pizza as well as Jack's whiskey.

Owen shrugged. "It's okay." He said taking a bite from a slice. "Would you have shot him... if you were me?" He asked.

"Probably." Ianto admitted.

Owen flashed a brief smirk. "But you knew he wouldn't die." He pointed out.

Ianto nodded. "I did. Though after Abaddon I wasn't so sure." He admitted.

"So what is this blue box anyway?" Owen asked.

"It's a TARDIS. Travels through time and space. Jack spent some time on it with a man called The Doctor." Ianto explained.

"And that's how he became immortal?" Owen asked.

Ianto shrugged. "Something happened to him. Something to do with the Daleks. He still gets nightmares."

"All the death and loss and chaos we face and he's bloody immortal." Owen mused.

Ianto downed the last of his drink. "I'm not sure either way is better." He admitted sadly.

TORCHWOOD

"You know... We're practically dating." Owen slurred one evening after a few too many drinks.

"I'm not sure nightly takeout classifies as dating." Ianto pointed out swaying slightly as he leant forward to put his empty glass down on the table. They'd finally relocated to the battered sofa as opposed to the medical bay floor.

"Oh I don't know." Owen began. "Few candles." He smirked.

"I'll bear it in mind." Ianto remarked as his eyes slipped shut.

He relaxed on the sofa, eyes closed feeling oddly content. All he could hear was the humming from the nearby computers and the faint sound of Myfanwy circling high above them. Suddenly he heard the sofa creak beside him and felt Owen's lips pressing roughly on to his, taking him by surprise. The wiry medic was suddenly straddling his lap, one hand thrust in his hair pulling his head closer, the other creeping up under the back of his shirt, stroking bare skin. Ianto slid his own hands round Owen's waist, holding him firmly in place as the kiss deepened.

They broke apart breathlessly.

"Best go." Owen said, his voice ragged as he climbed to his feet and with a distinctive sway made his way to the rolling door and left without further comment.

Ianto led down on the sofa and fell asleep.

TORCHWOOD

Ianto walked into the Hub from the archives late the following evening and was a little surprised by the sight that greeted him. Owen was sat on the sofa, an opened pizza box on the table before him, alongside two bottles of beer, and a single lit candle. It was a narrow pillar style candle which Ianto was certain he recognised from the emergency provisions box. But at that point it was stood in the middle of the table, flame flickering. Ianto wordlessly walked over, loosening his tie a little as he sat down, glancing at Owen who had a strange look in his face.

"Alright?" He asked as he took one of the beer bottles and swigged from it. As he set the bottle back on the table Owen swiftly and clumsily closed the gap between them, knocking Ianto backwards onto the sofa as he crashed their lips together. Whilst hands clung eagerly to each other and bodies pressed together wayward legs flung out, and Ianto soon smelt burning.

"Owen..." He said roughly between kisses. The medic continued his assault on Ianto's mouth. "Owen the pizza box is on fire." The Welshman blurted out.

Owen stopped immediately and began to snigger. "Right." He said sitting up.

Ianto righted himself and rose to his feet, deftly sliding the pizza out of the smoldering remains of the box and onto the table. The small fire soon burnt itself out and Owen set the candle back upright. Ianto sat back down on the sofa and took another drink from his beer before reaching for a slice of pizza.

"I'm sorry." Owen said.

"Hardly an inferno." Ianto pointed out.

"For being a dick since Jack left." Owen clarified.

"It's not been easy on any of us." Ianto remarked.

Owen nodded taking his own slice. "Do you miss him?"

Ianto nodded.

"I hope he comes back." Owen admitted as they ate in silence.

TORCHWOOD

The next evening there was no pizza, no beer and no candle waiting for Ianto. There was just Owen, stood looking almost nervous, holding tightly to his jacket as he stood at the door to the Hub.

"My place?" He asked simply.

Ianto nodded and silently followed the medic out of the Hub and across the Plass, soon reaching his apartment.

Ianto barely had chance to step inside before Owen's hands were on him, pulling at clothes, grabbing at skin, lips crushing together.

"What no pizza?" Ianto asked breathlessly between kisses.

"Shut up." Owen replied as he pushed Ianto into the bedroom.

It didn't take long for the men to strip, soon tangling up together in a mess of limbs, and disappearing beneath the sheets.

"Do you love him?" Owen asked some time later. He was led on his back in the bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, one arm bent beneath his head. Ianto was settled beside him, sat up slightly, the sheets disheveled but managing to cover them both.

"You may not be well up on post coital etiquette, but I'm pretty sure it's not the best place to discuss past conquests." Ianto remarked with a playful smirk.

"Do you?" Owen repeated.

Ianto shook his head. "Why'd you ask?"

"Just... wondered." Owen answered vaguely before rolling into his side, his bare back facing Ianto. "Night."

"Goodnight Owen." Ianto replied.

TORCHWOOD

"You're still here." Owen commented as he sat up the next morning, rubbing his hand over his face and as he looked at Ianto.

"Was I supposed to creep out in the middle of the night?" Ianto asked sipping from the mug he was holding. He was stood in the window of Owen's bedroom, dressed in a pair of boxers and a tshirt that Owen knew to be his.

"I thought you might." Owen remarked. "Is that coffee?"

Ianto nodded offering the mug to Owen who shook his head. "I borrowed a tshirt." Ianto said.

Owen nodded. "Spotted that."

"Should I go?" Ianto asked.

"No." Owen said quickly.

A smile flickered over Ianto's lips. "Should I make you a coffee?" He asked.

Owen nodded. "I'll take a shower... then hopefully... this will stop being awkward." He said getting out of bed and pulling on his discarded boxers from the floor.

"Oh I'm sure we can make this awkward for a while yet." Ianto replied jokingly.

Owen smiled. "I'm sure we can." He conceded before disappearing into the ensuite.

Ianto laughed softly before padding into the kitchen and setting about making Owen a drink. Instant was all he could find but at least it was a decent make. He leant back on the bench as he waited for the kettle to boil.

The door to the hall opened and Owen stalked through like a man on a mission. "Screw it." He muttered before kissing Ianto fiercely, all thoughts of coffee soon forgotten.

TORCHWOOD

Ianto woke on the sofa. He was naked but there was a blanket covering him that he was sure hadn't been there when he'd fallen asleep. Owen was sat in the armchair opposite him, a steaming mug in his hands, dressed in a tshirt and jeans, feet bare. His hair was damp, apparently having made it to the shower, and that strange look from the hub was back on his face as he stared at Ianto.

Ianto righted himself, pulling the blanket along with him, savoring the warmth it was providing as well as the modesty. "What time is it?" He asked, running his hand through his unusually disheveled hair.

"Just gone 10." Owen commented.

Ianto nodded. "Can I use your shower?" He asked.

"Sure." Owen replied sipping from his mug.

Ianto rose to his feet, the blanket remain wrapped around him as best he could manage. As he padded towards the door Owen spoke again.

"Is it still awkward?" He asked.

"No." Ianto replied swiftly with a small smile, not that he turned around for Owen to see it.

A similar smile graced Owen's lips, though he unnecessarily brought his mug to his mouth to hide it. "There's clean towels in the cupboard in the bathroom. Help yourself."

Ianto left the room.

TORCHWOOD

"What's... mmmm... going on... ahhh...?" Ianto asked as Owen kissed him. The medic had him pushed up against the filing cabinets in the archives. His tie was on the floor, his waistcoat undone and Owen was making light work of the buttons on his shirt.

"I was thinking we could have sex." Owen muttered as he sunk his mouth into Ianto's neck.

"Yeah I got that... fuck..." Ianto groaned as Owen pressed his thigh between the Welshman's legs.

Owen smirked as he continued his mission, pulling open Ianto's shirt quickly but knowing better than to rip off any buttons.

"Owen..." Ianto said as he placed his hands on the older mans shoulders in a vague attempt to calm the situation.

"Seriously?" Owen said looking up at Ianto. "You want to do this now?" He asked, his arms falling to his side in defeat.

"As much fun as I'm having deleting the CCTV footage from the many rooms and corridors of this place... Tosh is going to begin to wonder what's going on with Jack not being here." Ianto explained.

Owen sighed but nodded in acceptance. "Okay." He said sitting down on a nearby chair.

"Look I just want to know what this is. If it's just sex that's fine. If it's more than that, then that's fine too. Whatever this is, I just want to make sure we're both on the same page." Ianto pointed out as he rebuttoned his shirt.

"What do you think it is?" Owen asked cryptically.

"I don't know Owen. I don't know what you want." He replied.

"What do you want?" Owen asked, his tone remaining cryptic.

"I want you to take responsibility for starting this." Ianto said, his voice becoming frustrated.

"I didn't see you putting up much of a fight." Owen remarked.

"God you are the single most frustrating man I've ever met." Ianto sighed. "Why don't you come and find me when you've figured this out yeah?" He snapped a little before turning to leave.

"Sex." Owen said suddenly as he got to his feet. "It was supposed to just be sex. It was supposed to just be a way of getting through this shit we're in. This insane situation made all the more crappy because of Jack pissing off and leaving us." He began.

"But...?" Ianto prompted, turning to face him.

"But..." Owen began, his tone suddenly turning nervous. "In true Owen fashion... I screwed the plan up."

"How?" Ianto asked confused.

"Because I wasn't meant to fall for you." Owen admitted angrily before pushing past Ianto and trying to rush out the room. Ianto grabbed his arm, forcing him to stay put, before pulling him close and covering Owen's mouth with his own.

TORCHWOOD

"Mine or yours?" Owen asked that evening as they met at the hub door.

"Neither." Ianto replied.

"What?" Owen exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because this isn't just sex. So lets get some dinner." Ianto suggested.

Owen nodded. "Okay. I can do dinner." He smiled a little as they stepped through the door and boarded the lift.

"Then we can have sex." Ianto remarked.

Owen smirked, but his smile softened as he felt Ianto slip his hand into Owen's. He looked down at their hands, locked together.

"Awkward?" Ianto checked.

Owen shook his head. "Not at all." He said as they strode out the tourist office door and walked proudly across the Plass.

TORCHWOOD

Ianto and Owen carried on in secret for two months. And then Jack came back. Guns blazing, complete with cocky swagger and beaming grin. The blowfish didn't stand a chance.

Owen was scared. Scared that Ianto would run back to Jack. Not that he was going to admit it. So he went for an even less subtle approach. Grinning smugly into the kiss as one hand slid beneath Ianto's waistband and he listened as Jack "just happened" to wander into the archives a couple of days after his dramatic return.

"When did this happen?" Jack asked, not bothering to look embarrassed at finding two of his team in a compromising position, but failing to hide his surprise.

"You left." Owen offered as way of explanation, his face showing his determination that he wouldn't be giving Ianto up without a fight.

Ianto tidied his clothes up, well aware that both men were looking to him for answers, for any response. "Was there something you needed sir?" He asked.

"No." Jack conceded. "No. I'm fine." He said before wandering back towards the door. "I'll stop Tosh searching for the missing CCTV footage then?" He asked glancing over his shoulder, his gaze settling on Ianto.

Owen sniggered as Ianto nodded. "Probably best." He replied.

Jack nodded before walking silently out.

"Did you get him to come down here on purpose? To catch us?" Ianto asked.

"Yes." Owen admitted looking a little ashamed.

Ianto rose an eyebrow in silent question.

"I needed to know where we stood. Now he's back. What happens now?" Owen explained.

"Ever thought about asking me?" Ianto suggested.

"Where do we stand?" Owen asked.

"Together." Ianto said simply. "You're a bloody idiot Owen." He smirked. "But... I do love you." He admitted nervously.

Owen beamed. "I love you too." He agreed.

Ianto kissed him softly. "Now get back to work."

Owen moved towards Ianto but the Welshman placed his hand on the other mans chest. "Upstairs." He clarified with an eye roll.


End file.
